


Transformers Animated - A New Processor, Same Body

by ARandomWriter_SendHelp



Category: Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARandomWriter_SendHelp/pseuds/ARandomWriter_SendHelp
Summary: A little while after Megatron was imprisoned our heros chase down an unfamiliar escaped convict back down to Earth. The escaped convict appears to be more trouble than what they sign up for when Optimus is down for the count. The rest of the team argue and fight unsure what to do without Optimus' leadership to guide them...
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Engine Start

**Author's Note:**

> I am in no way a professional writer, and I do not own Transformers Animated! Your brain cells may be lost upon reading this! 
> 
> You've been warned!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little while after Megatron was imprisoned...Everything seems fine, Megatron was on trial, Sentinel still stands as Acting-Magnus, and the heros we adore are seen as heros all across Cybertron...However, Energon deposits have been discovered on Earth and a team is being sent down to Earth to collect the Energon. There's just one problem.....The team doesn't know anything about Earth. Our heros, unhappy with the results, confront Sentinel about their displeasures.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terminology you may need to know in this Chapter:
> 
> Tank: Stomach  
> Servos: Hands  
> Cadulens: Calves  
> Tibulen: Thighs  
> Pedes: Feet  
> Optics: Eyes  
> Skid plate: Butt  
> Digits: Fingers  
> Optical Ridge: Eyebrows  
> Cycle: ~1.5 Minutes  
> Nanoklik: ~1 second

* * *

There was something...Something that felt wrong...They walked past the homage like his death was nothing, talking cheerfully with each other. Yet, they had no problem walking up to Optimus and asking questions, autographs, or complementing him. Was this.....Was this what a death of a hero was like?

_...Prowl..._

Optimus' tank swirled.

... _Prowl..._

Optimus sighed, turning away from statue of his deceased teammate. He transformed into his Earth vehicle and drove away. 

Optimus is commonly asked about why he chooses to stay with his Earth vehicle instead of switching to something more.....Cybertronian...If he had to be honest...He has no idea himself.

He approached a large building as he transformed into robot mode, walking in to be greet by a much smaller robot.

"Prime!" Bumblebee said as he rushed over in glee. "Where have you been? We were looking all over for you!" Optimus released a chuckle seeing the young bot so happy.

"I was just taking a stroll. What's got your gears in a bunch?" Optimus said, continuing his walk into the building.

"What? You haven't heard? A team of Autobots is getting sent back to Earth!"

"What?" Optimus stopped in his tracks, looking to see any hint that this was some kind of cosmic joke. "Why in the name of the AllSpark would they do that?"

"Dunno, something about Energon I think."

Optimus' tank swiveled once more _._

_Why would Sentinel send Autobots down to Earth for Energon? Earth doesn't have any Energon..._

Optimus' processor flooded with explainations and thoughts, completely getting lost in it.

"Uh...Bossbot?" Bumblebee's voice snapped Prime out of his thoughts. "You ok there? I thought you'd be happy...This means we get to go back to Earth for a while..."

"No, no, that's great news Bumblebee. I'm happy, really...I was just thinking was all."

"Well don't fry your processor while you're at it. Gee, I thought your Spark suddenly decided to go offline. Now c'mon, they're annoucing it in the next couple of cycles!" Bumblebee hurriedly rushed over to a screen, Prime in pursuit.

"Bumblebee, wait!" Prime called out as he struggled to squeeze through a crowd of Autobots who also gathered near the screen to hear the annoucement.

"C'mon Prime!" Optimus looked around, trying to spot Bumblebee in the crowd. He spots a yellow figure and squeezes through to get to them. He reached out, putting his servo on the bots shoulder pads.

"Bumblebee-"

"Hey!" The bot turned to face him.....It wasn't Bumblebee. The bot took a second to stare at Optimus.

"Sorry...My mistake, I thought you were someone else." Optimus said as he looked around once more.

"Hey! Your Optimus Prime! The bot who defeated Megatron!" The yellow bot called out. The crowd went silent, Optimus now being their main focus.

"I, uh..." Optimus had a swift feeling wash over him, a feeling where he wanted to shrink up in a ball and disappear.....Everyone was staring. The air was still and cold as it stood in the silence. Then the air jumped from bring still and silent to being bustling and noisy. The crowd erupted in questions and comments about Optimus and his time on Earth...Optimus was never going to find Bumblebee now...

"Is it true that you single-handedly defeated Megatron?" One bot asked.

"I heard organics spit out acid that can melt Autobot alloy, is this true?" Another said.

"You should be acting-Magnus!" Said another...

"Do you know anything about the annoucement about Earth?" And another...

Much to Optimus' relief, the screens turned on with Sentinel on it.

"Hello all of Cybertron." Sentinel spoke, diverting the crowds attention. The crowd hushed in the distraction, listening to what Sentinel had to say.

"Pst...Prime!" Bumblebee whispered. "Down here!" Optimus looked beneath him. Bumblebee was there on his servos and his knee joints, as he peeked out from beneath the crowds pedes. "This way!" Bumblebee then started to make his way under the crowd. Optimus followed, careful not to shove, or injure any Autobot.

Soon enough, Optimus made his way to the end of the crowd.

"What took you so long?" Bumblebee ushered.

"Sorry..." Optimus said. Bumblebee sighed.

"So much for being able to see..." 

Optimus looked over the crowd. He could just barely see Sentinel peering through the crowd.

"And with that, I want to talk about a recent issue that everyone has been talking about." Sentinel continued. Optimus looked at Bumblebee, who was slumped over, not even bothered to try to jump over the swarm of Autobots who stood in the way.

"Hang on..." Optimus picked up Bumblebee. 

"Hey! What are you-"

"You wanted to see, right?" Optimus placed Bumblebee on his shoulders. "Well now you can." Bumblebee was silent for a nanoklik. A smile found it's way on Bumblebee's face.

"Thanks Prime."

"Earth, well known as the place where Megatron was defeated, who now stands on Trial here on Cybertron..." Sentinel's voice breached through the crowd. Everybot listening intently, eagered to hear what Sentinel had to say about the organic planet. The air was still, with the exception coming from Bumblebee's rising excitement. Bumblebee did his best to hide it, but Optimus could see it. "Well, during the battle with Megatron the Autobots there had been carrying the AllSpark, and out of a moment of stupidity they dispersed the AllSpark into frgaments..."

"I wouldn't call it stupidity..." Bumblebee grumbled.

"They later gathered some of these _AllSpark fragments,_ but some isn't all. With this in mind...We discovered that the remaining AllSpark fragments has created Energon deposits on Earth." Sentinel said. Murmurs from the crowd scattered throughout.

"See, I told you it had something to do with Energon." Bumblebee muttered.

"Yeah, yeah...Now quiet down and listen to what Sentinel has to say." Optimus said. Sentinel paused, waiting for something before he continued.

"With this new discovery, we've decided to send a crew of _experienced_ , _well-equipped_ Autobots down to Earth to collect it."

"Here it comes...!" Bumblebee practically shook from excitement. Optimus wouldn't admit it, but he too missed Earth. There was something about the Organic planet that just felt...right...Optimus loved his home on Cybertron...But.......

"The team we're sending to Earth includes the following heros..." The air was tense. A swift silence hushed any murmurs that still remained in the crowd. "Erector, Safeguard, Metalhawk, Rad, and Warpath..."

"WHAT?!" Bumblebee huffed. Autobots turned to look at Bumblebee and Optimus. Optimus dropped his head so he wouldn't be recognized.

"Quiet down Bumblebee..." Optimus said as he slowly started to exit the building before a scene was made. Optimus placed Bumblebee on the ground, Bumblebee's Optics narrowed in his discontent.

"But...They've never even _been_ to Earth! They don't know the first thing about it!"

"That may be true, but I trust that Sentinel would at least brief them on Earth."

"Are you kidding? Sentinel doesn't even know which side of the road you're supposed to drive on."

"Bumblebee, it doesn't matter how we feel about this. They were sent to Earth for a reason, and I'm sure that the bots will do a good job at collecting the Energon on Earth."

"But-"

"Bumblebee..." Optimus shot Bumblebee a look. Bumblebee was silent before he released a huff.

"Fine, just let that Glitchhead do what he wants why don't cha..." Bumblebee transformed and was swift to drive off. Optimus stood there watching the bot until he disappeared from Optimus' sight. Bumblebee wasn't wrong.....There were more equipped bots that could've been sent to Earth instead...If not Optimus' team, then at least send one bot that had been on Earth...Like Jazz, or the twins, just to inform the newer bots of the rules on Earth.

"Maybe I should have a talk with Sentinel..." Optimus transformed and drove off.

* * *

Optimus knocked on the door. A few Nanokliks later and a bot opens it, inviting Optimus inside. The bot traded pleasantries with Optimus as they walked. Optimus was greeted with a few stares as he followed the bot infront of him, eventually reaching a bigger, gold-plated door.

"Sentinel Prime, sir. Optimus Prime would like to see you." The bot pressed on the intercom.

"Tell him I'm busy." Sentinel responded.

"But sir-"

"I said, _I'm busy._ " Sentinel brushed it off as the converstation ended. The bot looked at Optimus. Optimus' optics narrowed at the sight of the door, he looked down at the bot that stood infront of him.

"That will be all, thank you. I can take it from here." Optimus said. The bot nodded as they took their leave.

The doors swung open. "Sentinel." Optimus walked in.

"What the- What part of _I'm busy_ does no one understand?!" Sentinel stood from his chair. Optimus glanced around the room.

"Busy making yourself comfortable?"

"Optimus, I suggest you leave before I call security to drag your skid plate out of the building!"

"We need to talk."

"About what Optimus?! What could be so important for you to barge into my office like that?!"

"You mean Ultra Magnus' office." Sentinel's optics widened.

"Why you little-"

"We need to talk. And I'm not taking _no_ as an answer."

"Fine! Fine. Whatever it takes to get _you_ outta here!" Sentinel approached Optimus, placing his pointer digit on Optimus' chassis to add emphasis.

The two walked down a hallway, side by side as they spoke.

"Is that really what you're concerned about Optimus? Jeez...You really must have some soft spot for that undeveloped planet."

"That's not the point Sentinel...The point is that you're sending a crew of bots down to Earth with little to no information...Don't you think it would be smart to have at least _one_ bot who's been there? Like Jazz, or the twins?"

"Optimus," Sentinel looked around to see who was all around as they entered the room infront of them.

"Sentinel?" Optimus said. Sentinel closed the doors.

"You want the truth Optimus? Fine, I'll give you the truth. The truth is that I'm sending the Elite Guard down to Earth to chase an escaped prisoner..."

"What?"

"Shh, shh! Now, let's not let this get out to the public, alright? We have reason to believe our escapee fled to Earth in an attempt to hide."

"But why leak to the public that there was a team going to Earth if you didn't want anyone to know?"

"I didn't. One of the bots slipped up and accidently let it out. I had to tell the public something."

"So there isn't any Energon on Earth?"

"Ehh...I wouldn't say that.....We have reason to believe the AllSpark fragments are leaving deposits of Energon on Earth, but we have no proof of this just yet..."

"And you can't just tell the public that you're going after an escaped prisoner, instead you have to lie to them and say you're going after Energon?" Optimus raised an optical ridge. 

"Well...When you put it like that..." Optimus sighed. "Listen, Optimus, you don't know anything about this prisoner, alright? He's dangerous and if it got out to the public then I'd be out of the job."

"Don't tell me Megatron escaped..."

"What? No! No one's _that_ incompetent to let Megatron escape!"

"Then who escaped?"

"Just some nuts and bolts bot who likes to preform...unethical, for lack a better term, experiments..."

"I see..."

" _I see_...? That's all you have to say."

"Well, what do you want me to say?"

".....Just...Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Hmm..."

"Optimus..."

"...I promise Sentinel..."

"Good. And if I find out you told _ANYONE_ I'll lock you both up before you could say another word." Sentinel shoved pass Optimus and out the door they came through.

"Mhm. Threatening me is a great way to get me to stay quiet..." Optimus rolled his optics before leaving.

* * *

"That's not fair! We know more about Earth than anybot on Cybertron! ...Me, in particular...It's just a simple Energon run! Why couldn't they send you guys?" Sari said, as she landed on the ground.

"I bet it's as simple as Sentinel wanting to take all the credit again..." Bulkhead said. "I used to live on an Energon farm! I know how to extract it and everything!"

"There's just one problem with what you said Bulkhead...Sentinel's not going to Earth, there's no way he can take any credit if he's not on the scene." Ratchet said as he sat observing the younger Cybertronians and Techno-Organic.

"No, Bulkhead's on the right track here." Bumblebee chipped in. "Sentinel just wants to prevent _us_ from taking anymore well-deserved credit than we already have. I mean, people are already wanting Prime to take over as Acting-Magnus!"

"Even if that was the case..." Ratchet said. "We best not to stick our heads where they don't belong."

"Ratchet's right." Optimus said as he entered the room.

"Prime!" Ratchet sounded relieved.

"But Optimus!" Sari pleaded, flying up to him.

"No buts. We might not know everything about the situation, it's better if we keep out of it." Optimus crossed his arms, sending a powerful glare out to the defiant bots. They backed down. Optimus echanged a look at Ratchet before the two older bots left the room. Bulkhead sighed.

"Well, I'm going for a can of oil..." Bulkhead transformed into his vehicle mode. "You coming with?" Bumblebee and Sari shook their heads. "Suit yourselves..." Bulkhead drove off. There was a moment of silence between the two.

"I can't believe Optimus is taking _their_ side!" Sari said, sitting on the ground disappointed. "I mean, Earth's _my_ home! _I_ was raised there! If anyone deserves the right to go to Earth, it's me, right?"

"Oh we're going on that Energon run all right..." Bumblebee crossed his arms. "Whether Prime likes it or not."


	2. An Oops In The System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bumblebee and Sari prepare to enter the Energon mission, unaware of the true nature of the mission. When Optimus gets wind of this he's determined to put a nail in the coffin of their plans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terminology you may need to know in this Chapter:
> 
> Pedes: Feet  
> Processor: Brain  
> Servos: Hands  
> Optics: Eyes  
> Optical Ridge: Eyebrow  
> Tank: Stomach  
> Digits: Fingers  
> Nanoklik: ~1 Second  
> Solar Cycle: ~1 Day  
> Cycle: ~1.5 minutes

"Are you sure this is a good idea Bumblebee?" Sari said as she watched Autobots walk by, receiving an occasional glare from the passerbys.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure...Why wouldn't it be?" Bumblebee brushed Sari's concern off as he leaned against a wall, also watching the bots walk by. "I mean, you're just downloading the ship number and dock for the mission for the uh...Energy...Giving...sandwich..." Bumblebee attempted to mask their actual reasoning as bots walked by. Sari gave Bumblebee a look.

"Oookkkaaayyy..." She sighed, looking around as she waited for the right moment. A bigger bot walked out through the Elite Guard Command Centers door. They were perfect.

Sari snuck between the bots pedes, undetected. "Ok, now to find a computer..." Sari mumbled to herself as she hide from the other Autobots inside the room. She gazed around before she spotted a computer. "Bingo...Now I just need a distraction..."

Sari ducked so she wouldn't be noticed by the bot who walked past her. The bot went for the door Sari had just entered from. 

"HELP! HELP PLEASE!" Bumblebee had rushed up to the bot. "IT'S AN EMERGENCY! I THINK MY FRIEND'S IN DANGER!" A couple other bots in the room gathered around Bumblebee, trying to calm him down in order to pry information from him.

 _Perfect_.

Sari made her way past the bots to the computer.

"What's the issue?" The Elite Guard Bot asked.

"DIDN'T YOU JUST HEAR ME, MY FRIEND'S IN DANGER!" Bumblebee said.

"What happened?"

"I DON'T KNOW! WE WERE JUST TALKING OVER OUR COMLINK THEN IT STARTED TO SOUND WEIRD, THEN THEY JUST...VANISHED! POOFED! SILENCE! GONE!"

"What do you mean it started to sound weird?"

"I mean that there were noises, that went like KRRRRKKKK! And, ZzZt, zZzt, ZzZt! Then the communication just cut off! I tried tracking them through their com, but I couldn't get a signal!"

"That could mean that they're offline..."

"WHAT?!" The Elite bots looked at each other.

"Please come with us, we would like to ask you a few more questions..." The Elite bots towered over Bumblebee. A feeling of inferiority washed over him, he glanced past the Elite bots towards Sari to see if she was done yet. She wasn't. Bumblebee looked at the mountainous bots as he made an effort to make himself like Omega Supreme.....An unmovable force...

"Wait, what about my friend? Shouldn't you go look for them? What if they're not offline like you say they are?" Bumblebee said.

"We'll send a search party to look for your friend. What sector were they last in?" Bumblebee racked his processor for the first number that came up.

"Uh...Uh Sector 13 I believe..."

"We'll send a search party now. We'll need you to describe what they look like, their name, model and much more." The Mountain broke through Omega Supreme's defenses...The Elite Guard Bot now started to drag Bumblebee away. With one last glance, Bumblebee glanced over at the computer. Sari was gone. Relief washed over him. Now onto a new problem.

What bogus story could he tell that won't get him into trouble with the Elite Guard?

_What have I gotten myself into now?_

* * *

"Optimus, Optimus, Optimus..." Sentinel walked through the front door, gathering the attention of the crew.

"Uh...Yes Sentinel?" Optimus said, pausing the converstation he was having with Ratchet.

"Mind if we talk for a nanoklik? In uh...Private?" Sentinel threw his arm over Optimus.

"Sure Sentinel..." Optimus said, moving Sentinel's arm off before leading Sentinel to a back room. Sentinel looked back at the remaining Autobots in the room.

"Go back to whatever you rustbuckets were doing, or else-"

"Sentinel." Optimus said in a passive aggresive tone, as if indicating not to talk to his crew like that. Sentinel shot one last powerful glare at the crew before closing the door.

Silence spread across the room, as if they wete expecting Sentinel to come out and say one last thing. They recieved nothing...Ratchet sat down, looking at Cybertrons more recent Newsfeeds. Sari bounced her leg on the chair she was sitting on, commonly glancing at the front door. Ratchet glanced up, taking note of Sari's behavior. Then the silence shattered...

"Hey...Has anyone seen Bumblebee?" Bulkhead asked with a cup of Energon in his servos. He glanced around the room, clearly expecting Bumblebee to jump out with a dramatic entrance. Nothing...

"Now that you mention it...No, I haven't seen him all day...That explains why it's been so peaceful in here..." Ratchet said as he too glanced around, his optics stopping on Sari. She wasn't bouncing her leg anymore and avoided eye contact. Ratchet raised an optical ridge. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that.....Would ya kid?"

"...Who? Me?" Sari said as she turned to look at Ratchet.

"Yes you." Ratchet crossed his arms. Bulkhead looked at Sari.

"...I think he said something about racing..." Sari said staring intently at the two Autobots to see if they bought it.

"Oh really now?" Ratchet said. "And in what sector did he say he was going racing in?"

"Uh...I think he said he was going to...Sector 13."

"Mhm...And you wouldn't happen to be aware that Sector 13 is locked down for an investigation, would you?" Ratchet raised the newsfeed up. Sari flinched. Bulkhead stared at Sari as he raised an optical ridge. The two Autobots towered over her with prying optics. Sari did her best not to give in. The front door swung open.

"Home, sweet, home." Bumblebee said, strolling past all three of his friends in order to make his way to his favorite chair. "Oh how I missed this chair.....Woah...What's with the look Ratchet? You look even grumpier than normal.....And that's saying something..."

"Mind telling where you've been _all day_?" 

"Racing."

"Where?" Ratchet said looming over Bumblebee, who did his best not to look phased. Sari put up four fingers. One finger on one hand, three on the other. Bumblebee took note of Sari's hidden message, smiling at Ratchet.

"Sector 4."

"Oh really now?" Ratchet grinned of victory. "Because Sari said you went racing in Sector 13."

"Well.....I was...going to.....But when I got thete the Sector was closed, something about some kind of investigation I think..." Bumblebee smoothed it over as Ratchet's victory grin disappeared.

"Just let it go Ratchet..." Bulkhead said forcing the tense rope to snap. "I mean, their story makes sense abd what else could they _possibly_ be doing that's so bad? It's not like their going to barge on in on that Energon Mission or anything...Right guys?"

"Right." Sari said.

"Yeah," Bumblebee said.

"Totally."

"Why would we do that?" The two nodded in sync with big _innocent_ grins on their faces. Ratchet's tank clogged up. Before Ratchet could pry anymore the backroom door opened with Sentinel's voice booming through.

"And do the job right this time. We don't need you repairbots going off on some side mission to capture some Decepticon again, got it?"

"Yes, Sentinel. I understand." Optimus said as he glanced at his crew, reading the broken tension.

"Good. And if I find out any of you went off mission again, I'm throwing each and every _one_ of you into the Stockades! Is that clear?" Sentinel demanded.

"Sir, yes sir!" Bumblebee and Bulkhead said. Sentinel stopped and lingered on the two who stood at attention before making his way to the front door.

"OW!" Sentinel rammed himself into the corner of a counter. "WHO PUT THIS HERE?!" Sentinel was responded with silence. He huffed, exitting the building.

"What a glitchhead..." Bumblebee muttered.

"Nevermind that..." Optimus said, looking over everyone. "We have a space bridge to repair..." 

* * *

"You know, you don't have to come to the ship with us Sari." Optimus said as he led the group towards Omega Supreme's station. Sari glanced at Bumblebee who responded with a shrug as he carried a few of the smaller crates.

"What? Can't see you off...?" Sari said.

"Don't be so quick to get rid of us kid," Ratchet batted an optic towards her. "We still have a couple of Solar Cycles before we have to leave."

"Enough time for us to think about what we're going to do about your situation..." Optimus glanced at Sari.

"What? Don't think I can handle myself on Cybertron for a little while?" Sari huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"It wouldn't be you that would be causing problems." Optimus said as he glanced at the surrounding Autobots that walked by, staring at him as his crew, whispering comments to each other. Seems like no matter where they went this was the common trend.

"I don't see why she can't just come with us..." Bulkhead stepped into the converstation as he carried the crates of supplies. "I mean, we're just going to a space bridge, what's the harm in that? Not to mention Sari _has_ become fairly handy with technology ever since her little upgrade."

"Because we're not sure how long we'll be out there." Optimus said. "And Sari still needs to communicate with professor Sumdac every once in a while. He worries about her."

"Can't I just communicate with him through Teletran One?" Sari shrugged.

"It's not exactly a piece of cake with Earth's technology." Ratchet chipped in. "We have yet to establish a source of communication with your father. Having you stay near a Space Bridge is the best option."

"Better yet, she could spend the time we're gone with her father." Optimus said.

"You're sending me back to Earth?" Sari and Bumblebee looked at each other.

"We're considering it." Optimus said. Ratchet stopped to open a door to the loading bay. Every Autobot halted to stare at the crew.

"Did...We enter at a bad time...?" Sari glanced around. The crew walked a little deeper into the room.

"Sheesh...Talk about an unwelcoming welcome..." Bumblebee said glancing at the staring Autobots. Some looked away, resuming what they were doing. Others continued to stare.

One of the Autobots aporoached Optimus, he halted to look at them.

"Um.....Excuse me...M-My friend was wondering if you were really um..." The bot stuttered.

"If I was really Optimus Prime?" Optimus knew the routine. The bot slowly nodded in response, pressing their pointer digits together in their awkward shyness. "Yes, yes I am..."

The bots face lit up, looking towards a group of Autobots smiling. The group paused to look at each other before approaching the crew.

"If...It's not a bother to ask, but was it scary for a big bot such as yourself to have to go head first against all those Decepticons?" One of the bots asked Bulkhead.

"Well...I wouldn't say it was scary.....At least after I got used to it it sure wasn't..." Was Bulkhead's reply.

"How serious were the damages you had to repair? Did anybot ever come close to going offline?" Another asked.

"Well, we had a few close calls...That's for sure...But I made sure I didn't let any of these young bots go offline as long as I could repair them." Ratchet said, glancing over at Bumblebee. Bumblbee flinched, then released a soft chuckle realizing Ratchet's implication.

"What's it like to lead a bunch of repairbots to fight battle-ready Decepticons?" And another bot asked...

"Well, it was tough but I wouldn't have asked for a better team." Optimus said, open to their questions...Soon enough more and more Autobots gathered around with a star's worth of questions...But the questions weren't equally given to each Autobot.

Bumblebee crossed his arms as he was soon enough pushed out of the crowd.

"Hey, I helped too...How come I'm not getting any questions?" Bumblebee huffed. One of the bots turned to look at him, taking a nanoklik to stare.

"Really? What did you do exactly?" They said sounding skeptical.

"I did plenty! _I_ was the star player." Bumblebee said, feeling a sense of pride.

"...You don't look like you could do much..." 

"HEY! I DID PLENTY!"

"Like what?"

"Well, I'm the fastest on the team! And-And I have my stingers!"

"But...You're stingers aren't combat stingers..."

"Actually they are. Ratchet upgraded them when we were forced to fight the one and only Omega Supreme." Bumblebee grinned, feeling proud of himself...

"It's my understanding that that battle took place a little before the final battle with Megatron...Does that mean you didn't do much before that battle?" And then Bumblebee didn't...

"UGH! JUST FORGET IT!" Bumblebee crossed his arms, diverting his gaze elsewhere...Sari slipped through the crowd, with an agitated huff. Bumblebee spun his head to look at her. "Everything ok Sari?"

"Yep. Fine. Everything's _completely_ fine!" Sari groaned, unable to help herself but to clench her fist. Bumblebee stared at her, filled with concern as he was unsure what to say. Sari sighed. "You know what? Let's just go, this place reaks."

"You can say that again....." Bumblebee glanced at the crowd, turning as he walked away. "Besides...The ship for the Energon Mission's leaving soon...Do you remember the ship and dock number?"

"Like I remember my birthday." Sari grinned. "Dock 3, ship number 5793."

"Oh...That's right beside our dock.......It's perfect!"

"Duh, let's go!"

* * *

It took several cycles before the crowd cleared up. Optimus eventually had to shut down the questions so him and his crew could move on. He saw Bumblebee and Sari head towards the ship not long after the crowd had formed...That's something their small size helps with...Optimus knew this was Space Bridge repair was really just Sentinel's way of saying _I_ _don't want you to leak out any information about the escaped convict, so I'm going to keep you busy so you don't get the chance to._ Which only makes him wonder why Sentinel would tell him in the first place...

Optimus finally reached Omega, Bulkhead and Ratchet behind him. Carrying the supplies, he placed it down. Looking around for Bumblebee and Sari.

"Hey there old friend..." Ratchet said as he approached Omega. Optimus decided to let Ratchet deal with Omega and simply look around for Bumblebee and Sari.

_Maybe they already boarded Omega?_

"Hey Omega? Is Bumblebee and Sari already on board?" Optimus asked.

"Negative." Omega said. Optimus raised an optical ridge.

"I have a feeling those two are up to something..." Ratchet said, standing beside Optimus.

"What makes you say that?" Optimus looked at Ratchet, already having the same thought in mind.

"Well, they disappeared for most of the day is one clue..." Ratchet said. "But it's mostly that that has me thinking they're up to something..." Ratchet pointed his digit. Optimus' sight followed the direction Ratchet pointed in.

On top of a loading dock beside a ship prepped for take off. Bumblebee and Sari are peaking out from behind a large crate seeming to be making sure the coast is clear before they bolted for the ships door.

"Well that's not good..." Bulkhead placed a box of supplies on the ground.

"Not good doesn't even begin to describe it..." Optimus sighed. "They have no idea what they're walking into...Come on, we should retrieve them before anyone notices the two stowaways on that ship." Optimus transformed and speed towards that dock. Ratchet and Bulkhead followed suit.

 _What are those two thinking?_


End file.
